Tales of Symphonia: Rise of the Scarlet Dragon
by Miho-hime
Summary: The worlds have been united, Yggdrasil has been stopped. But when a new evil threatens to destroy the harmony, can our heroes rise up and defeat their new nemesis? Before they can defeat the calamity, however, they must find The One.LloydxOC
1. Prologue a plea from the light

Disclaimer: I DO NOT, unfortunately for me, own Tales of Symphonia.

I do, however, own my concept and my OCs.

SDSDSDSDSDSDSDSDS

_**Tales of Symphonia: Rise of the Scarlet Dragon**_

_Prologue:_

_The worlds have been reunited; the awaited peace that had finally arrived is no longer present. The world is falling into turmoil and the great heroes that defeated Mithos Yggdrasil must be called upon a second time._

_The companions they meet will hold the powers to defeat the new and unyielding evil that threatens to engulf us all. _

_My only hope is that this message will be received by the One in time._

_Farewell, my sisters of spirit. We shall be revived soon, I hope._

_SDSDSDSDSDSDSDSDSDS_

"_April! Where are you? You__'__ll catch your death of cold if you stay out here any longer!__"__ boomed the strong, yet gentle, voice of a middle aged woman from the window of a small cottage._

"_I__'__m coming, I__'__m coming!__"__ April Green stood on a hill, watching the snow falling upon the city of Flanoir._

_April turned, allowing her medium length blonde hair to sway in the chilling winds. As she began walking, a faint light caught her eye. April moved toward the light, her eyebrows knitted on her forehead. Moving closer, the light began to grow, engulfing April as she screamed._

_SDSDSDSDSDSDSDSDSDS_

_THE SPIRIT ZONE- HIKARI__'__S REALM_

"_Where am I?__"__ April asked, cracking her eyes open and glancing at the white room._

"_Ye are in thine home, in the Spirit Zone. Thou hast been called hither to be informed of a coup that will take place concerning your world, and the rebels of the Spirit Zone.__" c__ame a voice to her right. Instantly April__'__s head spun to the sound._

"_Spirit Zone?__"__ April questioned, an incredulous look adorning her face._

"_Aye, the Spirit Zone. __'__Tis the home of the seven Sacred Spirits, as well as the Summon Spirits__…"_

"_Who are you, anyway? And why am I here?__"__ April demanded from the woman, spirit._

"_Hasty, aren__'__t ye? I was getting to that. Thy name is Hikari, one of the Seven Sacred Spirits. As thy name wouldst suggest, my element is light. As to why ye are hither, ye are the only one with the power to put an end to the coup. Thou hast been training to use a sword hast thou not?__"__ Hikari informed, walking over to the now confused girl._

"_Well… I… yes, yes I have." April stared, perplexed at the spirit._

"_Then, ye will draw thou weapon. We shall begin thou training."_

"_Training?"_

"_Yes, girl. Hast thou been listening at all to what thy hast been saying? Thou are the only one whom can defeat thin e evil. And, unfortunately, thy soul has been sealed. As a result, thy power is sufficiently weakened and thy cannot remain in a physical form for long. Ye must take the opportunity to train with thyself whilst ye can._

_April drew her sword, not really understanding the peril of the situation._

"_Why just me?" she asked, pouting._

_The only thing thy can tell ye is that ye are the only one with the power to stop the uprising. Ye are the only one who can seal away the scarlet dragon…"_


	2. Chapter 1 Disturbance

Disclaimer: I DO NOT, unfortunately for me, own Tales of Symphonia.

I do, however, own my concept and my OCs.

**Just a small piece of information: The chapters of this story will remain a little short, so I'll try my best to try and upload multiple chapters at a time for you guys. Please be patient with me, as I have CAPT testing in less than a week.**

**Oh, and also, due to the recent breaking of my hand from softball, I am currently typing using only my right hand, so updates may be a little slow… hey at least I'm still typing right?**

SDSDSDSDSDSDSDSDS

_**Tales of Symphonia: Rise of the Scarlet Dragon**_

Chapter 1- Disturbance

SDSDSDSDSDSDSDSDS

"Training is over. Ye may go now."

"But, Hikari-sensei, I've been gone for a whole month. People will have been looking for me. What do I—"

"Hush, April, Time in the Spirit Zone passes much faster than in your world. The most ye would have been gone is 5 minutes." Hikari stated, walking April over to the portal between dimensions.

"Alright, but, I mean… am I ever gonna see you again?" April asked, turning to the taller woman.

"When I have been unsealed from thine prison, thine form shall be restored. Yes, thou will see thee again. If thou succeed, that is." Hikari, smiled, trailing off, "Now go. Thou must return home."

April, shedding a few tears, turned and hugged her mentor.

"I'll do my best." April sighed, wiping her tears and stepping through the portal. She did not turn back for fear of not being able to complete her mission.

SDSDSDSDSDSDSDSDS

"Thee hopes that ye will succeed, April. Please, be careful…"

SDSDSDSDSDSDSDSDS

"Sensei," April, stood in the snow, dusting herself off.

"April! GET IN HERE THIS INSTANT!" the voice of April's mother broke through the ravaging winds.

"Mother…" April turned and ran, hearing Hikari's voice in her head; _my child, no-one must know of thou mission. Please, be safe…_ "I'll protect you mother; I'll protect everyone." The troubled blonde muttered to herself, breaking into a run towards her house.

SDSDSDSDSDSDSDSDS

"The girl has been in contact with Hikari. Should we kill her now, milady?" a cold voice sneered from the corner of a dimly lit, dungeon-like room.

"Not quite yet, Evangeline. If we off her now, what fun would that be? She wouldn't even be able to fight back… no, we'll at least wait until she grows a tad bit stronger until we give chase."

Evangeline sighed, shaking her vibrant red hair from her right eye, thinking _'even with the power of the __**(1) ojo de toda vista**__, I am unable to find a solution to the fact that if we wait much longer, we will all be killed…'_

"Yes, Lady Helena." Evangeline managed to sigh out, turning her head away from her ignorant cousin.

SDSDSDSDSDSDSDSDS

"April Marie Green, what could have possessed you to traipse out into the cold in your condition?!" April's mother, Gloria, scolded, shaking her finger towards her young teenage daughter.

"I'm fine mother. See? I don't have a fever anymore… I think going out into the cold fresh air did me some good." April countered, grabbing her mother's hand and guiding it to her own forehead.

"Good gracious. You and your big mouth… oh alright, I suppose if the weather did help you some, then I can't really scold you for that; however, if you wait that long to come back home after I've called you again, you'll be in your room. AND I'll remove all of your books and your friends will not be allowed to see you for a very long time." Gloria huffed, continuing with her dinner preparations.

A couple hour had passed, and that left April sitting on her bed, staring up at the ceiling.

"Hikari-sensei… don't worry. I'll save all of you…" April stated to herself, her eyes full of determination.

"You're going to save who now?" came a voice from her window.

April jumped and glanced at the window in fear.

"Oh, Abel, it's you. Can't you knock or something?"

"Hehe. Nope. Just itching for the day I catch you with nothing on…" Abel sighed, smirking at her.

"Pervert." She mumbled, hitting him over the head with her book on ancient runes.

"Ah!" he cried, clutching his head.

""What do you want Abel?" April asked, setting the book down on the edge of her bed.

"First, can I come in?"

"Sure." April moved aside and helped him pull himself through the window.

"Okay… here goes… April, I know what happened today on that hill." Abel glanced sharply at her and noticed as she winced and her features contorted. There was a fear in her eyes, unlike any he'd ever seen from her before.

"Wh-what are you talking about?" April tried her best to keep calm.

"I know what happened with you on that hill…" Abel repeated…

SDSDSDSDSDSDSDSDS

**Miho-hime: Le Gasp! What does Abel mean?! Why does he know if no-one else does?! Does this look infected to you?!**


	3. Chapter 2 Discovery

Disclaimer: I DO NOT, unfortunately for me, own Tales of Symphonia.

I do, however, own my concept and my OCs.

**Just a small piece of information: The chapters of this story will remain a little short, so I'll try my best to try and upload multiple chapters at a time for you guys. Please be patient with me, as I have CAPT testing in less than a week.**

**Oh, and also, due to the recent breaking of my hand from softball, I am currently typing using only my right hand, so updates may be a little slow… hey at least I'm still typing right?**

SDSDSDSDSDSDSDSDS

_**Tales of Symphonia: Rise of the Scarlet Dragon**_

Chapter 2- Discovery

SDSDSDSDSDSDSDSDS

"How did you- what- I- you- huh?" April stuttered out, making a confused face at Abel.

"I was there." The boy stated simply.

"Why were you there?" April began her interrogation, twirling a strand of her blonde hair between her fingers and glaring at him slightly.

"I was stalking you of course!" Abel smirked triumphantly.

April proceeded to strike him over the head with her hand, resulting in the poor boy letting out a pained yelp.

"Okay, okay. I saw one of the spirits about a week ago. I saw the light this time and decided to investigate, you abusive harlot."

Again, the blonde thwacked him upside the head, "I'm not abusive, you're just infuriating. And I'm not a harlot, you vile manwhore."

"Hey, hey, hey, just because I'm a hit with some of the ladies doesn't make me a manwhore. Compare me to Wilder and I'm a saint."

"Abel… you said you've met a spirit. Which one?" April asked, her eyebrows quirking.

"She said her name was Hikari… hoo, man was she hot…"

BAM

"Augh…" April proceeded to dropkick her perverse friend to the floor with a resounding bang.

"Abel, are you alright?" Came her mother's voice from outside April's door.

"Yeah, I'm fine Ms. Green…" Gloria opened the door to see April sitting on her bed massaging her foot, and Abel on the floor nursing a nasty bump on the head.

"Abel, will you be staying for dinner tonight?" Gloria asked, amusedly taking in the scene before her.

"Naw, Ms. Green. Mom'll be expecting me to wash the dishes tonight. I'll go home in a little while."

"Gloria! When will dinner be ready?" April's father, Jonathan, shouted up the stairs.

"Soon, Jon, soon. Well, I'll just leave you and your boyfriend alone," Gloria flexed her eyebrows suggestively.

"Ma!"

"Ms. Green!" The two teens were blushing redder than a tomato.

"NO DATING UNTIL AFTER YOU'RE MARRIED!" April's father shouted up the stairs again.

April laughed along with her mother, while Abel sighed.

"I'll take that as my cue to leave. I'll talk to you later April. See ya, Ms. Green." Abel scurried over to the window and began his descent on the ladder.

"Bye, Abel." Gloria waved, walking towards her daughter's bedroom door.

"Mom, you and daddy always have a knack for coming in at the most unwanted moments, you know that?" April sighed, leaning back against her headboard.

"Hm… we're parents. That's what we do. Go wash up, dinner'll be on the table soon."

SDSDSDSDSDSDSDSDS

"Abel. Hey Abel!" April called from her window, resulting in said boy to jump from his window and ascend the ladder to hers.

"Yeah, April?" She invited him in.

"Abel," April began, leaning on to her bedside table, "you haven't told anyone, right?"

"'Course not. Why would you think I would?" He gave her a concerned look, wrapping his arms around her in a friendly hug.

"Abel, I'm worried… and I'm scared…" By this time, April had started to cry, pressing her face into her friend's chest.

Hikari appeared before them, her shining light illuminating the dark room.

"Ye must hurry." Hikari stated, panicked, "They are procuring the necessities for the ritual faster than I could have assumed. You must tell no-one. Leave a note, and be on your way. You must-" Hikari was cut off before she could say another word. As she disappeared, her eyes showed pain and fear.

"Abel…" April managed to gasp out.

Normally, Abel would have used a snappy, angering remark to make the girl in his arms happy again. This was definitely not a normal time. He just held her close, allowing her to moisten his warm sweater.

"April, we have to leave… tonight. There's no other way…" Abel trailed off softly, kissing the girl atop her head in a brotherly fashion.

"I know." She murmured breathlessly, "I know."

SDSDSDSDSDSDSDSDS

"Jonathan! Get in here Jonathan!" Gloria screamed from April's room.

"What is it Gloria? What's the matter?"

"April's… our baby is gone!" Gloria wailed dramatically, flopping into her husband's arms. They both began crying as they read and reread the note, clearly with disbelief.

_Mom, Daddy,_

_I regret to tell you this, nut I have to leave. There is something I must do. You must understand that if I had confronted you with this face- to-face, you would have said no. So I am doing what I must, because I am the only one who can._

_I'll love you both forever,_

_April Marie_

SDSDSDSDSDSDSDSDS

Sniffle- bonding moment!

April: And for once, Abel actually took into account that he wasn't getting lucky.

Abel: Love you too, April…


	4. Chapter 3 Found

Disclaimer: I DO NOT, unfortunately for me, own Tales of Symphonia.

I do, however, own my concept and my OCs.

**Okay, lucky me. I get to go to a belated Valentines dance with the cutest guy ever!!!! None of you guys know me, so I'm probably scaring you right now, but it's a good thing the dance is on Friday, cuz I can take my cast off tomorrow! Yayz me!**

SDSDSDSDSDSDSDSDS

_**Tales of Symphonia: Rise of the Scarlet Dragon**_

Chapter 3- Found

SDSDSDSDSDSDSDSDS

A fire prickled and leaped against the darkness of the night sky.

Abel Bergeron stoked the fire as he watched the shadow of the flames dance across the frame of his sleeping companion.

Vaguely, he wondered just why the blonde, who was most like a second sister, had to carry the burden of saving everyone.

"Damn you Hikari…" Abel swore into the night. Three weeks of cursing the light wielding albino, three weeks of watching his comrade sleep while worrying constantly about her well being. The girl's immune system was weak already. _'All the stress'll definitely make her condition worse.'_ Abel thought, clenching his fist.

"Abel?" April's voice came from behind him, causing the brunette boy to jump. He turned to meet her, "Abel, what's wrong?" She tilted her head to the side. _'A white lie'_

"Oh, nothing," he gritted his teeth, "I was just thinking how long it's been since I scored…"

BAM. April hit her friend over the head with the hilt of her sword, "Pervert…"

"YOU ABUSIVE HARLOT!"

BAM

"VILE MANWHORE!"

SDSDSDSDSDSDSDSDS

"Say, April…" Abel began, sparing a glance at his friend, "When exactly are we supposed to meet up with them?"

"Oh, gee, I don't know? Maybe when we finally get to Iselia?!" April shouted, glaring at the older teen, who shrunk back and away from the terrifying girl.

"What's wrong with you? That time of the month?"

BAM

"Apriiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiil! Why??????????"

"Because that's not what you should be asking a lady."

"Oh, alright. If I see a lady, I'll let you know." Abel smirked, awaiting the thwack to the head. It never came. Instead, she just marched on ahead.

SDSDSDSDSDSDSDSDS

Another week took the duo to Triet, after boarding the ship sent from Altamira to Izoold. They had crossed the Ossa Trail with little difficulty, Abel complaining the whole way that his feet were in pain. _'Funny. Shouldn't it be the other way around?'_ April thought to herself, laughing inside.

TRIET

"Ah! Finally! I can rest my beautiful body in a bed!"

"Ease up, jerk-wad. We only have enough gald for one room." April said monotonously.

"Oh, and of course, you'll get the bed April. What kind of friend would I be if I made you sleep on the floor?" Abel pouted, tilting his head to the side. This caused a band of girls to giggle and blush.

"Ugh." April trudged into the inn, Abel following like a lost puppy. After paying for the room, which surprisingly had two beds, they deposited their things. Abel had promised to wait in the room whilst April went to restock on supplies.

SDSDSDSDSDSDSDSDS

"Here ya go miss. That'll be 2650 gald for 7 apple gels, 7 orange gels and 3 life bottles," the merchant said aloud, as he repeated the order to make sure he got it right.

"Thank you," April handed over the gald and turned towards the inn. At the hut near the entrance, she spotted a young man in red petting a strange teal, white and purple… dog-thing.

As the boy turned his head to glance around, no doubt wondering where his traveling companions were,

'_It's him! It's Lloyd Irving!'_ April thought to herself, staring at the young man.

She walked to him after he turned back to petting the animal.

"Excuse me," April asked, tapping Lloyd on the shoulder and watching him spin to meet her.

"Are you Lloyd Irving?"

"Give me your name and I'll give you mine." He replied smugly, smirking a little.

"Uhm… I'm April Green…" April stated, still unbelieving that she found whom she was looking for.

"Nice to meet you. Yeah, I'm Lloyd Irving, why do you ask?"

"My companion and I came from Flanoir. We were sent by a spirit named Hikari. We were sent to find you, and give you this." April said, moving around in her tunic to find a small, raggedy letter.

Lloyd seemed to freeze for a moment before turning a bit pale. "Hikari?" he pondered aloud, arching an eyebrow, _'It can't be! The spirit who invaded my dream was real?!'_ Lloyd thought, breathing slightly to calm himself. He slowly reached for the letter in April's hand, grabbing it gently as she let go.

He read the letter, written in a barely legible scrawl.

_Lloyd Irving,_

_As ye have probably figured out by now, I am Hikari, the spirit in your dreams of late. We have called upon 'the one', April Green, and her companion, Abel Bergeron. The Spirit Realm seeks help from the man whom defeated Yggdrasil and the companions that helped ye. Please, I, as well as the rest of the sacred spirits, beg of your help. The scarlet dragon will rise soon, and we need it to be stopped. First, however, you must find where __they__ have sealed us. Even we do not know where. April will be able to sense our mana signatures through her elven blood. Please, you must save us. You must save the world._

_Hikari_

Lloyd looked to April, who nodded that it was, unfortunately, true.

"Lloyd," April asked, bringing her hand to her heart, "Will you help us?"

SDSDSDSDSDSDSDSDS

**Okay, poll time:**

**How many of you:**

**1. Want to have one of the CC's die**

**2. Want to have one of the OC's die**

**SDSDSDSDSDSDSDSDS**

**3. Want one of the CC's to die and not be able to be saved and/or brought back to life**

**4. Want one of the OC's to die and not be able to be saved and/or brought back to life**

**SDSDSDSDSDSDSDSDS**

**5. Want a LloydxOC/ZelosxOC**

**6. Want a Colette/SheenaxOC**

**You can all choose 3 choices, one of each section, and I'll tally them up for the end. I'm really shooting for a LloydxOC here but I can do ZelosxOC as well. I can just switch the affection around.**


	5. Chapter 4 Chaos

Disclaimer: I DO NOT, unfortunately for me, own Tales of Symphonia.

I do, however, own my concept and my OCs.

SDSDSDSDSDSDSDSDS

_**Tales of Symphonia: Rise of the Scarlet Dragon**_

Chapter 4- Chaos

SDSDSDSDSDSDSDSDS

April's eyes pleaded.

"Of course I'll help! All of us will!"

"Lloyd!" April grinned wide, launching herself onto the brunette.

"Uhh… April?" Lloyd asked, raising his eyebrow and blushing a tad.

"Oh! Sorry Lloyd!" April released the brunette and landed on her feet swiftly, her sword sheath clanging on the belt resting on her waist.

"Lloyd!" came a voice from behind the inn. A young boy came running from behind the corner,

"Genis! Colette!" Lloyd shouted, noticing his comrades.

"Lloyd! We're done with the shopping. And we couldn't find any information on… Lloyd? Who's she?" Genis inquired, tilting his head toward April.

Said blonde stepped forward, smiling at the newly arrived duo, "I'm April Green. And you are?"

"I'm Genis Sage, this is Colette Brunel." Genis stated, pointing to the blonde opposite April.

"Hi!" Colette waved, smiling.

"So, what are you doing here April? Do you know Lloyd?" Colette asked, tilting her head to the side.

"Uhm..."

"Genis, Colette… she's the one…" Lloyd cut in, a serious look on his face.

"No way…" Genis muttered, trailing off.

"Really?" Colette asked the group.

"Maybe we shouldn't talk about this out in the open…" Lloyd began,

"My traveling companion is up in the room we just reserved at the inn. We can talk in there."

SDSDSDSDSDSDSDSDS

Knock knock.

"Nobody's home!" came a masculine voice from inside the room.

Sighing, April cracked her knuckles and muttered darkly, "Abel, if you don't open this door right this instant…"

The door swung open, revealing a very scared looking Abel.

"April, who…"

"Lloyd Irving."

"You found him?! Without me?"

"Oh, if you were with me we probably never would have found him--"

Obviously, Abel had not been listing to the blonde, because he traipsed over to Colette, smiling.

"Why hello there. What's a pretty lady like you doing in a place like this?" Abel grasped her hand, kissing her knuckles.

BAM

"NOT AS BAD AS WILDER, HUH?" April began massaging her hand, adding "I'm sorry about him. He a complete dunderhead."

"…Just like Zelos…" Genis trailed off, snickering at the wounded brunette.

"ABUSIVE HARLOT!"

BAM

"…ow."

By this time, Lloyd was snickering amusedly while Genis rolled on the floor clutching his sides. Colette just smiled at the two.

"Anyway, back to business." April straightened, motioning for the guests to come in. Genis shut the door behind him and took a seat with everyone else on the bed.

SDSDSDSDSDSDSDSDS

Two hours later:

"Oh no! Poor miss Hikari." Colette saddened.

"So, what do we do now?" Genis asked, a bit downtrodden, "And, you're sure you want my help? I'm a half-elf, you know."

"So are we." April and Abel stated together.

"But you said that neither of your parents were elves." Lloyd was confused, he began scratching his head.

"Simple biology," April began, "Both of our parents are half-elves. You get half your DNA from your mother and half from your father. Since they're both half-elves, I get one quarter elven blood from each of them. A quarter plus a quarter is two quarters which is equal to one half." April stated, matter-of-factly.

Genis was staring at her and so was Colette.

"What?" April asked, becoming self-conscious, "Please stop staring at me."

"How smart are you?!" Genis asked, probably amazed that he had someone to challenge his intelligence.

"Smart enough for all normal purposes…" April started,

"And then some." Abel finished, smirking.

"What have I said about finishing my sentences?" April glowered, turning her head to face her companion,

"Uh… not… to?" Abel laughed, nonchalantly.

"Ugh."

"We should probably send a message to the others." Lloyd suggested, "We'll all meet at Dirk's house. I'll go by Rheaird; Genis, you can find the professor with Noishe. April, Abel you and Colette can go to Dirk's house and rest up."

All nodded. Colette, Genis and Lloyd removed themselves from the room to retire to their own.

SDSDSDSDSDSDSDSDS

As dawn approached, April and Genis were already up making breakfast when Colette came downstairs. Abel followed shortly after, rubbing his eyes to wish away the sleep.

It took a while for Lloyd to appear, seeing as Genis had to entice him awake by wafting the food up to his room. Shortly after the wafting had begun, Lloyd ran down the stairs, scrambling to put his boots on.

SDSDSDSDSDSDSDSDS

Breakfast ended and both parties went up to their rooms to pack. Both came down one after the other, said their goodbyes and went their separate ways.

SDSDSDSDSDSDSDSDS

"April?" Colette started, breaking the silence as the two young women and Abel trudged through the desert.

"Hm?"

"Is something wrong?" Colette asked innocently, glancing up at the slightly taller blonde.

Abel glanced at Colette and then at April, who was rubbing her gloved left arm.

"Ah, I don't…" April started before she dropped to her knees and screamed.

"April!" Abel shouted, concern ripping through his features. He held his sister figure close, prying her left glove off as she started crying.

Abel and Colette gasped at what they saw: A gem pure amber had ripped through the flesh on the back of her hand and had created an intricate marking along her wrist that was gradually moving up her arm.

"An exsphere? But Lloyd and I got rid of them! Unless it's a… oh no. It's a cruxis crystal!" Colette cried out, falling to kneel beside the younger blonde.

SDSDSDSDSDSDSDSDS

**Okay, poll time:**

**How many of you:**

**1. Want to have one of the CC's die**

**2. Want to have one of the OC's die**

**SDSDSDSDSDSDSDSDS**

**3. Want one of the CC's to die and not be able to be saved and/or brought back to life**

**4. Want one of the OC's to die and not be able to be saved and/or brought back to life**

**SDSDSDSDSDSDSDSDS**

**5. Want a LloydxOC/ZelosxOC**

**6. Want a Colette/SheenaxOC**

**You can all choose 3 choices, one of each section, and I'll tally them up for the end. I'm really shooting for a LloydxOC here but I can do ZelosxOC as well. I can just switch the affection around.**


	6. Chapter 5 Discord part 1

Disclaimer: I DO NOT, unfortunately for me, own Tales of Symphonia

Disclaimer: I DO NOT, unfortunately for me, own Tales of Symphonia.

I do, however, own my concept and my OCs.

SDSDSDSDSDSDSDSDS

_**Tales of Symphonia: Rise of the Scarlet Dragon**_

Chapter 5- Discord

SDSDSDSDSDSDSDSDS

Seventeen-year-old April Green was laid out on a futon in between the sand dunes of the Triet desert, a cold sweat beading down her brow.

"Oh, I hope she's okay…" Colette trailed off, mixing some chicken soup in a pot.

"April… April's strong. She'll be fine…," Abel stuttered, muttering, "At least I hope she will…"

"You said so yourself. April's strong. She'll be fine!" Colette exclaimed, her angel senses still adorning her young self. Abel looked confused and Colette explained about how she was the chosen as she removed the pot and doled out the soup.

"April, April wake up…" Abel shook his 'sister' and watched happily as her eyes opened.

"Did I die? Why'd I get sent to hell?" April asked after she looked at Abel.

"Thank Martel you're okay." Colette smiled, hugging the younger blonde as Abel laughed.

The group ate in silence, April barely touching her food.

"April. You have to eat…" Abel trailed off, concerned for the girl.

April sighed, "If I eat, I don't think I can hold it down." She looked down at her hand, glancing at the cruxis crystal.

"April. What's happening to you?" Abel asked, moving to sit beside his 'sister'.

April stayed silent for a moment as Abel hugged her close and gasped as a sharp pain tore through her hand. She started sobbing, muttering things incoherently as the pain subsided.

"This, this is Annika's exsphere." She finally said, wiping her tears away with Abel's sleeve.

Abel jumped, "What?!" he asked incredulously, raising an eyebrow.

"Who's Annika?" Colette asked, kneeling in front of April.

"Annika Bergeron. Abel's older sister. She used to teach swordsmanship in Flanoir. She was killed in the first uprising of Setsuna, 10 years ago. Abel and I were almost eight…" April sighed deeply, her eyes glazed over in reverie.

The remainder of the night was spent with Colette listening intently to April's story, as Abel sobbed tiredly into her shoulder; however odd it may be, big, strong Abel cried from time to time. April winced and moaned in pain every so often before painfully lolling her head into her 'brother's' lap to sleep rather fitfully.

SDSDSDSDSDSDSDSDS

"C'mon flat chest…wake up."

BAM

"April!! Why?!"

"I am not flat chested…" April started, more or less trying to confirm it for herself, rubbing her hand and scratching it slightly, "I'm…just still developing, smart ass."

"You're 17…how can-" Abel broke off at April's death glare, man if looks could kill…

"Colette, do you need any help?" April asked the other blonde. She began to walk toward Colette, helping her pick up the futons and pot and pans.

Colette smiled, "Yes, thank you April!"

SDSDSDSDSDSDSDSDS

By noon, the three had made it to the border of the Triet Desert and the region of Iselia.

"It wont be far now, everyone!" Colette chirped happily as she skipped toward the thick line of trees that was the Iselia forest.

"Oh, thank Martel!" Abel cried dramatically, tilting his head back and smirking.

April sighed, laughing slightly as her hand an arm throbbed. She balled her hand into a fist and kept on walking.

SDSDSDSDSDSDSDSDS

"Dirk! I've brought guests!" Colette stated, walking through the door and placing the groups bags to the side.

SDSDSDSDSDSDSDSDS

**I apologize for taking so long to continue this…Finals, writer's block and of course my modem exploded (well not really, but it did die…) so I had no internet access grrrr… anyways, the poll is still open so:**

**How many of you:**

**1. Want to have one of the CC's die**

**2. Want to have one of the OC's die**

**SDSDSDSDSDSDSDSDS**

**3. Want one of the CC's to die and not be able to be saved and/or brought back to life**

**4. Want one of the OC's to die and not be able to be saved and/or brought back to life**

**SDSDSDSDSDSDSDSDS**

**5. Want a LloydxOC/ZelosxOC**

**6. Want a Colette/SheenaxOC**

**You can all choose 3 choices, one of each section, or you can make suggestions and I'll tally them up for the end. I'm really shooting for a LloydxOC here but I can do ZelosxOC as well. I can just switch the affection around.**


End file.
